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May 15, 2014

Mount Etna

What would sicily be without Mount Etna? From far away you can see the “Mongi Bello” (beautiful mountain) as the Sicilians call it.

But if this mountain is so beautiful – I have my doubts when I see the lava pile up right and left to the road looking very fresh! The outbreak of 2002/2003 destroyed partly the cable car and a large part of the road was flooded with lava. The tourist station on the northeast side was destroyed totally.

Mount Etna has an altitude of roughly 3300m – each breakout changes the height. The mountain is the most active vulcano of Europe and permanently active. The last outbreak was 2013.

To come closer to the summit one has to fight his way through the heavy traffic in the village on the base.

The road leads up to an altitude of 2000m. A cable car goes 500m further up for the price of 30€. There is not much more to see. The next step is to book a seat in a four wheel bus – also for 30€! Unfortunately no seat was available when I was up.

Next to the parking a crater can be visited and even walked in – as long as there are no activities!